Wednesday, May 04, 2016

When does the Iraq War end?

Following the report of the latest US fatality in Iraq, Defense
Secretary Ashton Carter told reporters in Germany, “It is a combat
death, of course, and a very sad loss.” He added that it showed that
“it’s a serious fight that we have to wage in Iraq.”Later in the
day, White House spokesman Josh Earnest deflected a question as to
whether US forces were being sent closer to combat, stating, “the
president’s been clear time and time again exactly what their mission
is. That mission is to support Iraqi forces on the ground who are taking
the fight to [ISIS] on the front lines.”Obama has deployed a
growing number of US troops in Iraq after repeatedly foreswearing any
“US boots on the ground” and claiming that those who have been sent
there are not engaged in combat.

The fallen is Arizona's Charlie Keating IV -- C.I. includes some information about him in the snapshot at the end of my post. Charlie sounds like a solid guy. Reading about him made me cry.

And I can't believe thirteen years after the start of the Iraq War, I'm still crying about US troops dying in Iraq.

Two different administrations -- one Republican, one Democrat -- have continued this awful war.

Over a million Iraqis have been killed.

And there's still no end in sight.

Bernie Sanders defeated Hillary in the state of Indiana. That primary victory maybe says a lot of us are tired of this never-ending war.

Tuesday, May 3, 2016. Chaos and violence continue, another US service
member is killed in Iraq -- but White House flack Josh Earnest says of
the fallen "he was prepared to deal with it," Bernie defeats Hillary in
Indiana, Ted Cruz drops out and more.

Starting with THE NEWSHOUR (PBS):JUDY WOODRUFF: In the day’s other news: Islamic
State fighters killed a U.S. Navy SEAL in Northern Iraq. The ISIS attack
near the city of Mosul was the biggest in months by the militants. They
broke through Kurdish militia forces before being driven off. U.S.
officials said the SEAL was there in an advisory role.JOSH EARNEST, White House Press Secretary: You had
an individual who wasn’t in a combat mission come under withering attack
from enemy forces. He was in a combat situation. He was prepared to
deal with it, but, unfortunately, under a complex attack, he was killed.
And it’s tragic.

JUDY WOODRUFF: In all, three Americans have been killed in combat since the anti-ISIS campaign began in 2014.

Does anyone else want to slap Josh Earnest's smug, fat face? It was
combat. "He was prepared to deal with it." Can he just close his mouth
in shame about right now?

The lies that this White House will tell to avoid guilt and blame is amazing.

The only thing more amazing is the cowed and cowardly US press.

You wasted a full hour on crap -- all it was was crap -- and failed to explore Iraq.

But then exploring Iraq would mean that you used some of those US tax
dollars that you get to actually pay for journalism and not just present
talking heads and pretending that chat & chews are journalism. PBS
moves further and further from actual reporting every year. That's
nothing to proud of.

9 sentences. That's all they could offer. Couldn't even quote US
Secretary of Defense Ash Carter who broke the news this morning and who
called it what it was: Combat.

REUTERS reports, "A member of the US armed services has been killed in northern Iraq, the country’s defence secretary, Ash Carter, said."Barbara Starr (CNN) adds, "There's no word on any Americans wounded."RUDAW reports, "Military sources in the area told Rudaw that the incident happened in
the vicinity of Tel Skuf, about 28 kilometers north of Mosul. The body
of the dead soldier was retrieved by a US helicopter, military sources
on the scene said. "STARS AND STRIPES adds, "It comes as the U.S. steps up its campaign against the Islamic State
group in Iraq and Syria, where the U.S. now has several thousand troops
deployed to support Iraq security forces and other partners on the
ground."

PBS couldn't even identify the fallen this evening in their barely their
mention -- this despite the fact that, today at noon, CNN had
identified the fallen.

Navy
SEAL Charles Keating IV, the grandson of savings-and-loan financier
Charles Keating Jr.,died in combat against ISIS in northern Iraq, his
family said Tuesday.

"He is our family hero in every sense of the word," cousin Elizabeth Ann Keating told CNN.

[. . .]

A 2004 graduate of Arcadia High School
in Phoenix, he was city and region champion in the 1,600-meter run as a
sophomore, junior and senior, according to azcentral.com. At Indiana
University, he was a member of the 2004-05 track team that finished as a
Big Ten runner-up in both the indoor and outdoor seasons, competing in
the mile run, the school said in a statement.

His
high school track and cross country coach, Robert Wayne Reniewicki,
said Keating made the decision to serve his country after the September
11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The office of Arizona Governor Doug Ducey issued this statement:

“Our state and nation are in mourning
today over the loss of a U.S. serviceman – and one of America’s finest.
Navy SEAL Charlie Keating IV, a graduate of Arcadia High School in
Phoenix, was killed this morning in an ISIS attack in Iraq.

“Mr.
Keating is the third American service member to be killed in direct
combat in our nation’s fight against ISIS. His death is a tragic
reminder of the daily sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform –
fighting evil and extremism on the front lines to protect freedom and
democracy at home and throughout the world.

“Our
thoughts, prayers and eternal gratitude are with Mr. Keating, his
family, his fellow SEALs, and all of the brave Americans who’ve answered
the call to serve.

“In honor
of Navy SEAL and Arizona hero Charlie Keating IV, I’ve directed that all
state flags be lowered to half-staff tomorrow, May 4, from sunrise to
sunset. Flags will again be lowered on the day of his interment, for
which services are pending.”

Matthew
VanDyke, an American fighting alongside the Nineveh Plains Protection
Units, who also was nearby, said the SEAL was hit by a sniper shot. A
U.S. military official confirmed that the death was caused by small-arms
fire. VanDyke said that about 20 Navy SEALS arrived not long after the
town was lost about 6 a.m., traveling a few vehicles behind peshmerga
forces in a convoy.

At the US State Dept today, spokesperson John Kirby wanted to avoid the topic of Charlie Keating's death.QUESTION: I have a question. I have two questions, actually.
The first one is about that military service member who was actually
killed near Erbil a while ago. So how is the U.S. DOD is engaged in the
fight against ISIS other than advisory and training roles?MR KIRBY: Say – I’m sorry, say that question again. How are we what?QUESTION: So the U.S. military presence in Iraq, how they’re –
are they engaged directly in the fight against ISIS? Other than
advisory and training roles, what other role they will – they’re
actually playing? And if you could just tell us why he was killed. Was
he engaged directly in the fight? That’s the first question.And my second question was – is about the visit of the HDP leader,
Selahattin Demirtas, the Kurdish member of the Turkish parliament who
was here last week. There were some reports he had meetings here at the
State Department. Could you confirm that, please?MR KIRBY: So let me take your second question. I don’t think I have anything on that.On the first one, first of all, our thoughts and our prayers, our
deepest condolences go out to the family of the service member who was
killed today in Iraq. And I think all of us should just pause and
remember that there is a family out there that’s grieving right now and I
think we all should keep that foremost in mind.I’m going to refer you to the Defense Department for more specifics
about the circumstances under which that service member was killed.
That’s – they would have better information than I would. Broadly
speaking, and again, I’m only going to stay at a very tree-top level on
this because this is really a better question for the Defense
Department, but broadly speaking, our central role – we have two central
military roles in Iraq: One you’ve obviously seen is supporting
coalition efforts through airpower. Number two, it’s an advise and
assist mission. The Pentagon spoke to this. I believe Secretary Carter
spoke to this this morning with respect to this particular U.S. service
member who was killed, that he was involved in the advise and assist
mission when he was killed. But again, as for the specific
circumstances, I think I’d point you to them, okay?QUESTION: But if the situation deteriorates because of the
local problems in Baghdad today, do you think that the U.S. will need to
actually be more engaged just to make sure that ISIS does not gain more
territories or the Iraqi army will not leave other territories to ISIS?MR KIRBY: What’s important is that the Iraqi Security Forces
execute their campaign plan to defeat [the Islamic State]. That’s what’s really
critical. We’ve talked about this many, many times. And again, I don’t
want to veer out of my lane here, but the forces that matter most in
Iraq are indigenous forces, Iraqi Security Forces, and that is why we
are supporting them from the air and that is why we are supporting them
in an advise and assist capacity. And the United States has been very
engaged in this effort, but we want to do this smartly and we want to do
this through, by and with the Iraqi Government and Iraqi Security
Forces. They are the ground forces that matter most.

And they are having success. They are pushing back on this group in
Iraq. And [the Islamic State] has lost territory. They’ve lost fighters. They are
struggling to recruit now. They have certainly lost territory and they
are losing a significant amount of revenue in just – just since the fall
they have lost a significant amount of revenue, about a third of what
they once had total and more than half of once – what they were getting
from oil revenues. So there has been success against this group.

The Iraqi forces are still struggling and that's after they let Shi'ite
militias (thugs) into the armed forces -- after Haider did. Even Nouri
al-Maliki didn't do that. In fact, Nouri forced the political 'parties'
to disband their militias in order to participate in elections.

QUESTION: On Iraq, Baghdad seems to be in the middle of a
major political crisis at the same time that you saw this fatality of a
U.S. serviceman today. And I’m wondering what the assessment is as the
U.S. tries to get diplomatically engaged here – I mean, how much that
crisis imperils the combat mission.MR KIRBY: Well, so a couple of points there. You referenced
getting engaged diplomatically. I would argue that we have remained
engaged diplomatically with the Abadi government. I mean, the Vice
President was just there; Secretary Kerry was there just a couple of
weeks ago. We very much continue to support the political reforms that
he’s putting in place and we recognize the political challenges that
he’s facing in Iraq. But he is trying to enact reforms that are in
keeping with the Iraqi constitution, and again, we’re going to continue
to support him in that effort.And I think the Pentagon spoke to this earlier today and I will just
restate it – that there has been no impact on the military mission to go
after [the Islamic State] inside Iraq as a result of the political
challenges that
Prime Minister Abadi is facing right now. We continue to – at least the
United States continues to be a major contributor to the coalition. Just
over the weekend, nearly 60 airstrikes were conducted against [the
Islamic State] targets. So that effort continues apace. It doesn’t mean
that we’re – it
doesn’t mean that we’re not continuing to engage with Prime Minister
Abadi, not continuing to talk with him, not continuing to watch the
situation there closely, but there’s no impact on coalition operations.QUESTION: But he’s the commander-in-chief and his political
stability seems to be in question. So at what point does that not
imperil the ability or the mission to shore up his government, which is
what the U.S. is doing fighting alongside his military?MR KIRBY: Well, I don’t --QUESTION: I mean, if he can’t keep his government together,
doesn’t that hurt the U.S. effort to support his military to try to
fight ISIS?MR KIRBY: I don’t think it would be valuable to speculate
right now in terms of what might happen in the future or what the
effects might be on the military effort. What I can tell you is that he
is working through these challenges and they are difficult, but we
continue to support him as he does that. And the reason why, Margaret,
is because we believe and have believed from the outset that the best
antidote and the most sustainable antidote to a group like [the Islamic State] in Iraq
is good governance and it is political reform, the kinds of reforms
that he’s trying to pursue. So there is a linkage here in terms of being
able to sustain a defeat of a group like this, but I don’t believe
we’re at a point now where I can say with great specificity that while
this is the line, this is where it – this is where it impacts it. Thus
far he continues to work these challenges through the constitution with
the support not just of the United States but other coalition members.
And the Iraqi Security Forces continue – even as you and I are talking
today continue to – the fight against [the Islamic State] in places out in Anbar and,
as a matter of fact, just recently secured some success in Haditha.So they are, even for all the challenges he’s facing in Baghdad,
elsewhere in the country – not everywhere but elsewhere in the country –
the Iraqi Security Forces are doing a good job and they’re going after –
going after these guys. We’re certainly helping that effort. You
mentioned the casualty today as a stark example of that, that advise and
assist mission. But we have not seen a diminution of the effort to go
against [the Islamic State] as a result of these political challenges, and I don’t
think it would be wise to try to speculate as to at what point one way
or another you would see that happen.QUESTION: Is the U.S. trying to mediate between the Sadrists,
the Abadi government, and all these other fractured parties to try to
keep Baghdad together?

MR KIRBY: We’re not inserting ourself into internal Iraqi
politics in that way. Obviously, our ambassador there, Stu Jones, is in
contact with the Abadi government, as he has been, as we have been for a
while now in terms of supporting the kinds of reforms that Prime
Minister Abadi is putting in place. But we’re not taking a mediation
role.

If I want to know the best eye liner men can wear, I'll ask John Kirby.

If I want truth, he'd be the last person I'd go to.

The US failed to engage diplomatically.

The State Dept failed.

The White House failed.

Weapon after weapon has been delivered to Iraq in the last two years alone.

Yet no strings have been attached.

There has been no: You reach political reconciliation and you get . . .

There's been no effort at all.

And when Ned Parker's live was threatened for reporting the truth, the State Dept and the White House offered no support at all.

Nor have they offered a single comment on AL JAZEERA being shut down in Iraq last week.

More than 85 percent of countries in the world live with either partial or no press freedom. In 2015, press freedom declined to its lowest point in 12 years, according to a 2016 press freedom report released late last month
by Freedom House, an independent watchdog organization to globally
expand freedom and democracy. The report was based on a set of 23
methodology questions covering legal, political, and economic
environments in which print, broadcast, and digital media operate. Only a small percentage, 13 percent, of countries throughout the world enjoy press freedom, the report said.

As Noam Chomsky has long noted, it's also really good at finger pointing at others but never good at holding the US accountable.

More recently, it's been heavy handed in Ukraine.

In their laughable report, Freedom House devotes a paragraph to press
freedom in the US which is little more than a whine that Donald Trump
(running for the Republican presidential nomination) has criticized the
media.

That's the extent of press problems in the US, you understand.

The hypocritical White House issued the following statement:

On World Press Freedom Day, we thank the journalists around the world
without whom democracy could not flourish and whose courageous work
helps hold authorities to account. These are the men and women who work
to ensure that debate on public issues can be, in the words of Justice
William Brennan, "uninhibited, robust, and wide open." Through such
debate we make the choices that shape our lives and the world around us.
While it is in the nature of responsible journalism to confront the
powerful, the corrupt, and the brutal, too many journalists risk their
liberty and even their lives in doing so. From China to Iran to
Venezuela, brave men and women languish in prison for no greater crime
than seeking to inform their fellow citizens. The United States calls
for the release of those who have been imprisoned for exercising the
freedom of expression that is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, even as we encourage governments to foster societies in
which journalists can work freely and without fear. And we pay special
tribute to the reporters, including our fellow Americans, who have given
their lives or their freedom to tell the stories of those who live
under the shadow of war. For those who remain in captivity, such as
American journalist Austin Tice, we pledge that we will not relent in
our efforts to secure their release.
On World Press Freedom Day, and every day, these women and men deserve
our thanks for their risks and sacrifices, and for bringing us nearer to
the more peaceful, accountable, innovative and successful societies to
which we aspire.

More hilarious than the actual words?

The White House go to: Ned Price -- the spokesperson for the National
Security Council -- an organization that is repeatedly a foe of the
press in every administration.

TAPPER: President Obama, last night, offered a strong media critique,
telling us to hold presidential candidates accountable for what they
say, question their policies, call out debatable claims. President
Obama made many salient points. His message was a good one, but was
President Obama the right messenger?(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER
(voice-over): The media critic in chief had some tough love for
journalism Monday night. BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA: As well fairness is the hallmark of good journalism false
equivalency all too often these days can be a fatal flaw.

TAPPER: Imploring us to do a better job at covering campaign 2016.

PRESIDENT
OBAMA: A job well done is about more than just handing someone a
microphone. It's to probe and to question and to dig deeper and to
demand more.

TAPPER: The president's criticisms were well said
and quite app. But for many journalists, the messenger was a curious
one. Many believed that Obama's call for us to probe and dig deep
somewhere find out more has been made far more difficult by his
administration than any in recent decades, a far cry from the assurances
he offered as he first took office.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Transparency and the rule of law will be the touch stones of this presidency.

TAPPER:
Transparency, quote, "Obama hasn't delivered," "Propublica" reporter,
Justin Elliott wrote in "The Washington Post" just a few days ago,
calling the massive backlog of those seeking and failing to receive
information from the government under the Freedom of Information Act,
quote, "a disaster under Obama's watch."

With Obama officials
aggressively lobbying against reforms proposed in Congress. Associated
Press study last year concluded that, quote, "The Obama administration
set a record again for censoring government files or outright denying
access to them under the Freedom of Information Act.

The
committee to protect journalists told CNN today, the president has
fallen well short of his promise, quote, "seizing journalists' phone
records and e-mails, aggressive prosecutions of whistle-blowers who leak
classified information to the press, and the massive surveillance of
communications have sent an unequivocal chilling message to journalists
and their sources.

The Obama administration has used the
espionage act to go after more leakers and whistle-blowers than all
previous presidential administrations combined, despite official
assurances otherwise.

JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY:
When classified information is leaked, that is a violation of the law.
And it is a -- it is a serious matter. If you're asking me whether the
president believes journalists should be prosecuted for doing their
jobs, the answer is no.

TAPPER: President Obama's advice for
journalists Monday night was spot, but Mr. President, with all due
respect, when one of "The Washington Post" editors involved in the
coverage of Watergate says that your administration's attempt to fight
leaks and control the media is, quote, "The most aggressive I've seen
since the Nixon administration," well, maybe, just maybe you're
lecturing would be better delivered to your own administration.

Again, Charles Keating IV was killed in Iraq today. John Kasich is seeking the GOP's presidential nomination and he Tweeted:

Kasich remains in the Republican race but Senator Ted Cruz dropped out
today after losing the Indiana primary to Donald Trump. The two most
high profile candidates in that race are now Kasich and Trump.

On the Democratic side, War Hawk Hillary Clinton continues to battle Senator Bernie Sanders for the nomination.

Daniel Straus (POLITICO) reports:Bernie Sanders attacked Hillary Clinton on Tuesday night, hitting her
over her ties to Wall Street and her vote for the Iraq war — even as the
result of the two candidates' Indiana battle remained uncertain.

[. . .]

On foreign policy, Sanders focused on the war in Iraq contrasting his opposition to the war with Clinton's vote. "I
listened very carefully to what Bush and Cheney and all the rest were
saying about Iraq and not only did I vote against that war, I helped
lead the opposition to that war," Sanders said. "On the other hand
Secretary Clinton, then the Senator from New York state she heard the
same evidence that I heard. She voted for the war in Iraq."